


hallmark.

by dimpleddarling



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: F/M, FMA Secret Santa 2019, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Hallmark Movie, Meet-Cute, Romance, holiday romance, slowburn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:20:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22139209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dimpleddarling/pseuds/dimpleddarling
Summary: “So, when’s he getting here?” Rebecca asked in the tone of someone who knew all too much.Shit.In hindsight, maybe she shouldn’t have over-enunciated the fact that she had a boyfriend for the holidays, but she was so damn tired of Jean and Becca.Not that they were rude to her, but she hated third-wheeling, and she hated The Expression. You know, the one where their head tilted and something that dangerously looked like a mix between sympathy and pity filled their eyes.She was just absolutely tired of The Expression.--In which Roy and Riza fake a relationship and get away with it.
Relationships: Rebecca Catalina & Riza Hawkeye, Rebecca Catalina/Jean Havoc, Riza Hawkeye/Roy Mustang
Comments: 12
Kudos: 107





	hallmark.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RizaHawkeye1380](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RizaHawkeye1380/gifts).



> Surprise! This is a secret santa gift for RizaHawkeye1380 (@royaiblog) on tumblr! I hope you enjoy!

She felt it. Oh, she felt it. 

Becca was never subtle about it, but the intensity of her glare was practically burning into Riza, Those dark eyes always knew her all-too-well, so it was no surprise that her best friend was calling out her bullshit through her eyes. 

“So, when’s he getting here?” Rebecca asked in the tone of someone who knew all too much. 

Shit. 

In hindsight, maybe she shouldn’t have over-enunciated the fact that she had a boyfriend for the holidays, but she was so damn tired of Jean and Becca. 

Not that they were rude to her, but she hated third-wheeling, and she hated The Expression. You know, the one where their head tilted and something that dangerously looked like a mix between sympathy and pity filled their eyes. 

She was just absolutely tired of The Expression. 

“He should be—“ Riza began, knowing damn well that no one was coming, and based on the way that Becca’s lips pursed, she knew that her lie was going to be exposed too soon, but Riza never got to finish her sentence. 

A gentle hand landed on her shoulder, effectively cutting her off. A tall man sank down next to her, but not before pressing a gentle kiss to the crown of her head. Dark eyes that accompanied dark hair glimmered at her, and she found herself transfixed by the stranger that was seating himself at their table. 

“Sorry, I’m late. Traffic was absolutely terrible.” The man said smoothly, and glanced over at Riza. “You okay, love? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” His fingers reached out to nimbly tuck a few strands falling out of her updo behind her ear. 

He was saving her. He was her stand-in. Riza was still shocked—this kind of thing only ever happened in Hallmark movies, never to a person like her. But she still managed to respond. “Yeah, yeah. I’m okay, you just startled me. Rebecca, this is—“ 

“Roy Mustang.” He cut her off once again, neatly. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Rebecca. All good things, I swear.” 

“Funny, I haven’t heard much about you.” Becca responded, a glint of suspicion on her features. 

Roy Mustang was apparently not the type of man to cower, and instead stayed calm. He even had the grace to smile at her friend. “Well, that’s what this is for, right? Meeting me for the holidays and all that? Before I launch into my monologue, aren’t we waiting for a fourth? I’d hate to repeat myself.” 

“Jean’s caught in traffic.” Rebecca murmured, glancing down at her phone. With her friend distracted by her screen, Riza pushed herself up to her feet, yanking Roy Mustang along with her. “Roy and I are going to go tell the waitress that there’s another person in our party.” Which was most definitely not a two person job, but Rebecca was too distracted to even question it. With a firm hand around the other man’s wrist, Riza yanked him outside, the cold air hitting her face like a neat slap. 

“What are you doing? Who are you?” Riza asked, whirling around to face him once they were far enough from the immediate earshot of the cafe. 

“One part, you already know. I’m Roy Mustang. And well, I’d like to think that I’m saving you from embarrassment.” The cocky smile on the other man’s face made Riza want to smack him, but she refrained. “Now, now, no need to thank me. But I saw your face when your friend was asking, and I got stood up by my date, so I decided to step in.”

“Wow, you really deserve a whole award.” Riza sneered, shaking her head. “But I don’t know who the hell you are, and if I know my friends, they’re going to ask questions. We’re going to get caught in a lie, and you’re going to make me look twice as foolish.” 

“Improv. You know, no one says anything at the same time, the “yes, and” rule.” 

“Are you an actor, Mr.Mustang?”

“No, I’ve just binged the series “You” on Netflix.” He shrugged, leaning up against the wall. Riza studied his casual stance, cool composure. He was rather well dressed, she had to admit. A navy blue coat, dark jeans and a tight fitting black shirt. His hair was rather messy, but carefully placed in that manner. His dark eyes were on her, and they held no hostility. 

And for some reason, Riza felt like she could trust him. 

“Okay, I need the basics, so I don’t look like a complete fool when it comes to you.” She sighed, ignoring the way a smile grew on his lips at the acceptance of his plan. 

“I’m Roy, nice to meet you. 34, 5’10, insanely handsome.” Riza scoffed at that one, though she didn’t interrupt. “I’m a researcher at the nearby cancer center. Majored in Chemistry, got my M.D. Graduated from Columbia. No parents, one aunt who’s like a mother to me. Lots of foster sisters.” 

Riza nodded, trying to absorb the information as quickly as it was said. “I’m Riza, Riza Hawkeye. 32, 5’4. I’m a lawyer at the law firm down the street. Majored in political science, got my JD. Graduated from Chicago. One father, but he’s dead. No siblings. You’re meeting my friends Rebecca Catalina and her boyfriend Jean Havoc. Becca’s a freelancer artist, you can find her works in a few of the galleries upstate. Havoc’s a detective. We probably met at court, because I don’t really go anywhere else. Good? Good.” 

She didn’t give him a chance to respond as she led the way back inside. Right as they approached the table, she felt a warm hand envelop hers. Right, they were supposed to be dating. 

Jean Havoc had made it in the short time that the two had stepped away, and he was sitting with a cheerful expression on his face, a stark contrast to his brunette girlfriend’s suspicious one. 

“Roy!” Jean stood up, extending his hand for the other man to take. The two shook hands, grinning. “You know, Riza hasn’t told us anything about you. We were so damn sure that she had made you up.” 

“Jean!” Rebecca hissed at her boyfriend’s lack of tact. 

“Ah, that was a mutual decision. Don’t get me wrong, I’m proud of our relationship, but I’ve had bad experiences with announcing the relationship too early. It something that Riza and I both agreed upon, that we should take things slow.” Roy glanced at Riza with a smile on his face, looking slightly adoring. Damn. He played the part better than she had expected. His eyes held a question, wondering if it was okay—and she realized that she had stayed quiet too long to be accepted. 

“He’s right. You know how I am when I start being people, Jean. He has to pass a background check and various other requirements before getting to this stage.” Riza said, a hint of a smile on her face.

“Hey, but I got through them.” He shrugged. “That’s all that matters.” 

The lunch was…a mixture of anxiety and amusement. Riza was continually worried that she’d be caught in the lie, that somewhere one of them would slip up and give up something that didn’t correlate, but for the most part, Roy’s improv plan worked out. Jean and Riza threw the Spanish Inquisition at them, but they answered well. By the second half of the meeting, Riza’s two friends were genuinely getting along with Roy, having a fun time. Roy, for his part, was an excellent partner. He regaled the three with various chemistry shenanigans, and made sure to rope Riza back into the conversation here and there. The way he gently fed her a piece of cake and wiped the corner of her mouth felt actually real here and there. He’d make someone very happy. 

She wasn’t quite sure how to approach him once Jean and Rebecca left, but he took care of that too. 

“So, I’m in a predicament. I have this mom and a lot of sisters, right? And if I come home alone for the holidays, you might never see me again. So…” His rounded face was hopeful, and she barely repressed the sigh that bubbled upwards. 

“Fine.” She hummed, not quite realizing what she was getting herself into .

—

“It’s nice to see that you two are still together.” Rebecca murmured quietly, sipping from her wine glass. 

It was a year later from when the four had originally met, once again back in the holiday season. Jean and Roy were arguing quietly about the dish that they were cooking, and the two best friends were amusedly watching from the living room. 

“You’re right.” Riza said contentedly, her eyes fixated on the form of her boyfriend aggressively whisking the hell out of some cookie batter. Somehow, they stayed together. Meeting his mom had gone exceptionally well, and soon they were asking the other to office parties—and before long, they had gotten fed up and made it official. She didn’t quite know how they had gotten together, but she was damn glad that Roy Mustang was in her life. As if he knew what she was thinking about, he glanced up, catching her eyes, and winked at her. 

Rebecca, watching their little interaction, smiled slyly. “After all, I never knew that a fake boyfriend could actually develop into something more.” 

Riza whirled around, tawny eyes wild with surprised. “You mean—?”

“I knew? Honey, I’m the one who set you two up. He’s Jean’s mutual friend, and he needed someone for the holidays after his last breakup. You needed someone, so it was a win-win.”

Riza stared at her friend for a solid minute before pulling an uncharacteristic move and yanking her friend into a tight hug.

“Ow, watch the ribs, Riz.” Rebecca joked, but in a lower tone, added, “I was tired of you saying that you didn’t deserve a happy ending. You, out of all people, deserve your Hallmark movie. And I’m happy that you took it and claimed it for yourself.” Her brunette friend pulled away, a genuine smile on her lips. 

“Becks, come look at the sky!” Jean quickly stole her friend’s attention away. The couple occupied, Riza rose, tiptoeing over to the kitchen. She wrapped her arms around Roy from behind, nose digging into his shirt. His hands were occupied but she could feel him laugh. 

“Finished with the wine?” He asked. She felt the way his body reverberated, enjoying the feeling. 

“Mmm, if Rebecca has her way, we’ll finish another four bottles by dinner time.” Riza murmured, and after a moment of thought, added, “I’m glad that she set us up, by the way.” 

Roy glanced down at her, and grinned when he saw a smile curving on her dainty lips. “I am too, but I don’t want her ego to inflate too much.” He joked, before leaning down and capturing her lips in a sweet kiss. “I’m glad that you’re my Hallmark wish come true.”

“Thank you for bringing back the joy in holidays, fake boyfriend.” She grinned up at him. 

Holidays would be a favorite time of year for the couple, which would eventually become the Mustang household, and soon, the Mustang family. 

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment if you enjoyed, let me know what you thought! 
> 
> Drop a kudos!
> 
> And catch me on tumblr @chai-and-coffee


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